Final rites for outdoor publicity chief
By Our Reporters Final funeral rites for Alhaji Jimoh Lawal, Aare Mayegun of Gbagura, Abeokuta, and co-founder of out-of-home advertising agency, Abiok Publicity holds tomorrow in Lagos. The ceremony will
By Our Reporters
Final funeral rites for Alhaji Jimoh Lawal, Aare Mayegun of Gbagura, Abeokuta, and co-founder of out-of-home advertising agency, Abiok Publicity holds tomorrow in Lagos.
The ceremony will hold at LTV 8 Blue Roof, Plot 1, Lateef Jakande Road, Agidingbi, Lagos, from 11 am.
Lawal, who co-founded Abiok in 1976 and changed the outdoor advertising landscape, was an epitome of discipline, resilience, relentless thirst for knowledge acquisition, loyalty and humanity.
Rising from carpentry apprentice to a foremost advertising practitioner is a testament to his dedication to higher virtues and belief in human capacity to invent and reinvent.
He also co-founded Jimmy Kay Ventures, a real estate and hospitality business and Ogun News Today, a community newspaper.
Lawal died on February 16, and was buried the next day according to Islamic rites. The Eighth day Fidau prayer was held on February 24 at his Mongoro, Agege, Lagos home.
A thoroughbred professional and leader, Lawal was a member of Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria.
He belonged to different professional and social clubs, including Abeokuta Sports Club, Egba Notable Club, Lagos Prestige Brothers and Top Social Club of Mushin, Lagos.
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His contributions to community development were honoured with several titles. He was Aare Mayegun of Gbagura, Abeokuta, Laderin of Ido Gbagura, Abeokuta, and Ajiroba of Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos.
Alhaji Lawal was a teacher of humanity, kind and a great father to his children and grandchildren. He was humble, gentle, honest and principled.
He would be greatly remembered for his exemplary life and contributions to advertising industry, religion, humanity and community development.
Born on June 15, 1943 at Pataleri Village, Wasimi, Ogun State, Lawal went to St. Peter School Mosan, Ogun State. At barely the age of 10, the then young Lawal left his village for Lagos in 1953. He found his way to Alakija Olosha in Mushin, Lagos where he learnt carpentry profession under the tutelage of Baba Abegbo for three years. He thereafter left for Apata Street, Somolu, Lagos to advance his knowledge in carpentry works. He also left Somolu for Samuel Odusanya in Amutan, Lagos Island where he graduated, in what is generally refers to as “freedom” up till today, and graduated as a professional carpenter in 1960.
He started his advertising career at West African Publicity Limited, the first indigenous out-of-home advertising agency in Africa, later known as Afromedia Nigeria Limited. He was in charge of Technical Operation Unit, which was responsible for acquisition of strategic sites and building and construction of different type of innovative wooden billboards such as 16 Sheet, 40 Sheet, 48 Sheet and Bulletin Billboards among others. He also supervised the installation of billboards across major cities and commercial centres in Nigeria between 1960 and 1962.
Due to his dedication to work, market intelligence and creativity in carpentry works, he was headhunted in 1963 by one of the foremost and the second leading outdoor advertising agency, Pan Publicity Limited headquartered at Martins Street, Lagos. He was transferred to their Kano office in 1964 to help in setting up their northern region office where he helped the company immensely in growing up their northern market business.
He left Pan Publicity in 1966 and joined Greenland Publicity Limited as the Outdoor Manager. It was at Greenland Publicity that he met his ever dependable, reliable, honest, fantastic and destined brother, Alhaji Soliu Kehinde Olasode who was then the Head, Business Development and Client Service at Greenland.
They both left Greenland Publicity and co-founded Abiok Publicity Limited in 1976, located at 202, Agege Motor Road, Challenge, Mushin, Lagos with branches in Kano, Jos and Kaduna. Their partnership and the birth of Abiok Publicity changed the entire outdoor advertising media landscape in Nigeria. The formidable list of clients underscored the immediate and their lasting impact in the industry. These clients included Binatone, Sonny, DHL, Cadbury, Nestle, Indomie, Caphenol, PZ , Amatem, Nigerian Breweries, Guinness, Jagal, Gala, Golden Penny, Federal Government, State Governments, Grant Advertising, OBM, PAL, Insight Communications ,Hunters Publicity, Magnum Gold and S O&U among others.
In a society sometimes challenged by mistrust, Alhaji Lawal and Alhaji Olasode built admirable lifelong partnership that blossomed from professional partnership into full business partnership. They also co- founded Jimmy Kay Ventures, a real estate and hospitality business and Ogun News Today, a community -based newspaper in Ogun state.
A devout Muslim, he went for his Holy Pilgrimage in 1981 and made significant contributions to the propagation of the ideals of Islam. He held different religious titles and he was Asiwaju Adeen of Mafoluku Central Mosque.
